NIMS provides research assistantship to students who aspire to a career as researchers in materials science.
Graduate Research Assistant
NIMS offers a NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship to doctoral/master’s students who aspire pursue careers in materials science research. This assistantship provides a monthly stipend to support students in achieving their academic objectives. Appointed Graduate Research Assistants will gain valuable hands-on experience by contributing to cutting-edge research projects, while being financially supported throughout their studies.
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Outline
| Duties | The duties assigned by the hosting professor or researcher fall under the scope of the NIMS employment regulations. These duties and responsibilities are related to the student’s research activities. |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
Admission to one of the following 3 graduate programs at University of Tsukuba is a prerequisite for this assistantship. Graduate Research Assistants are expected to have sufficient research capability to be involved in the research activities.
* Employment is contingent upon the student’s active enrollment in a graduate program, without a leave of absence or withdrawal. * If you receive a Japanese government-funded scholarship—such as MEXT, JSPS, or JST fellowships, please check with your scholarship provider to confirm your eligibility. * No part-time jobs are permitted during the Graduate Research Assistantship. Please see FAQ on the NIMS Student Program website for the details. |
| Contract | The contract is for one year and may be renewed annually, up to three years for doctoral student and two years for master’s student. It will be terminated if you fail to engage in activities as an Graduate Research Assistant, or withdraws from the program. |
| Probation Period | 3 months |
| Monthly Stipend |
It will be determined based on the candidate’s evaluation and the actual number of working days.
|
| Start-up Support System | The Start-up Support Grant of 300,000 JPY will be provided to newly hired Graduate Research Assistants in addition to the salary at the first payday. The amount is almost equivalent to the entrance fees to the university. |
| Insurance Coverage | Graduate Research Assistants will be covered by the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance. |
| Name of Recruiter | National Institute for Materials Science |
| Announcement of Results | The results will be sent via email. In the event that the applicant is not admitted through the university entrance examination, the offer for the Graduate Research Assistant position will be automatically withdrawn. |
How to Apply
(1)Place all the Required Documents in a single folder, compress the folder into a ZIP file, and upload it to the BOX Submission Folder (click here) by the application deadline.
(2) After completing the upload, please send an email to NIMS Graduate Program Section ( nims-graduate@nims.go.jp ) with the file name and applicant's name.
Please use [Tsukuba-NIMS] Application as a email subject.* If there is anything you would like to inform us about regarding your application documents, please include it in the email.
(3)After receiving your email, we will confirm your file and will reply to you within a week. If you do not receive a confirmation email from NIMS, please be sure to contact us. If we do not hear from you, we may not be able to accept your application.
- Application form (word format)
- Please send this in word format when you apply. Sample is available here (pdf format).
- Please include the contact details of at least two references. We may directly contact the references regarding the application.
- If you write more than one name as prospective supervisor, please list up the professor names in order of preference.
- The 15th item (travel grant) on the application form does not apply to Graduate Research Assistant applicants for the University of Tsukuba (Materials Innovation)- NIMS Joint Graduate School Program. Please submit them without description. - Curriculum Vitae ( Please be sure to use the designated form. )
- Academic transcripts of both undergraduate and graduate
- Scanned copy of the valid TOEFL iBT / TOEIC L&R / IELTS academic score certificate
- The test must have been taken within the past two years.
- TOEFL ITP (Institutional Test Program), TOEIC IP (Institutional Program) and IELTS (General Training Module) are not acceptable.
【Important Notes for Uploading】
(1) Please name the ZIP file as follows:
Tsukuba-NIMS_Applicant's Name
(2) Please be sure to enter the applicant's email address on the upload page.
【Required Documents】
Schedule
Subprogram in Materials Science and Engineering (Doctoral students), Materials Science and Engineering Class (Master's students)
A: April 2026 application
[Closed] The next call for applications is scheduled to begin in April 2027.
| 1 April - 28 May , 2026 | Application period of the NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship |
|---|---|
| Mid-April, 2026 | Announcement of the university application guidelines |
| Mid-late June, 2026 | Document screening result announcement of the NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship |
| Mid-July, 2026 | University application period |
| Late- August, 2026 | University entrance exam at University of Tsukuba |
| Mid- September, 2026 | - Result announcement of the university exam |
| September, 2026 February, 2027 |
- Result announcement of the NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship (for partial) - Final Result announcement of the NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship (for all) |
| April 2027 | University enrollment and Start of the employment |
B: September 2026 Application
Applications are scheduled to begin in September 2026.
| 1 September - 22 October, 2026 |
Application period of the NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship |
|---|---|
| Late November | Document screening result announcement of the NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship |
| late Movember - early December |
University application period |
| late January, 2027 | University entrance exam at University of Tsukuba |
| mid February, 2027 | - Result announcement of the university exam - Final result announcement of the NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship |
| April or October 2027 | University enrollment and Start of the employment |
Materials Innovation (Master's and Doctoral students)
C: March 2026 Application (MI)
[Closed] The next call for applications is scheduled to begin in March 2027.
| 3 March – 14 April 2026 | Application period of the NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship |
|---|---|
| mid - April | Announcement of the university application guidelines |
| late April | Document screening result announcement of the NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship |
| mid - May | NIMS Internal Exam ( NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship interview) |
| late May - early June | University application period |
| early July |
University entrance examination |
| mid July | - Result announcement of the university exam - Final result announcement of the NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship |
| October 2026* or April 2027 *October enrollment is available only for applicants to the doctoral course. |
University enrollment and Start of the employment as a Graduate Research Assistant |
D: July 2026 Application (MI)
[Closed] The next call for applications is scheduled to begin in July 2027.
| 1 July – 30 July, 2026 | Application period of the NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship |
|---|---|
| early August | Document screening result announcement of the NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship |
| mid- or late August | NIMS Internal Exam (NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship interview) |
| late August - early September |
University application period |
| early- and mid- October |
University entrance examination |
| late October | - Result announcement of the university exam - Final result announcement of the NIMS Graduate Research Assistantship |
| April or October 2027 |
University enrollment and Start of the employment as a Graduate Research Assistant |